Northeastern Co-op Fellowship/Co-ops in Service to our Neighbors Program

The American City Coalition (TACC) seeks a Northeastern University (NU) student to work as a NU Co-op Fellow in our Roxbury-based office (2136 Washington Street, Roxbury, MA 02119) for six months (July-December 2026).

About TACC:

The American City Coalition (TACC) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in Roxbury’s Nubian Square. We tackle community-identified barriers through economic and workforce development, research, and policy strategies that expand pathways to meaningful opportunities in communities of color.

TACC supports the economic, social, and physical wellbeing of communities through economic and workforce development, research, and policy strategies. Our work focuses both on institutional systems change as well as intentional programming that connects communities with opportunities. We do this work because strong cities are built on shared prosperity.

Currently, TACC leads three equity programs that tangibly benefit residents of Roxbury and other communities of color in the City of Boston:

• Roxbury Worx is a workforce development program that connects Roxbury residents, especially hidden and middle-skills workers, to high-road jobs in growing sectors like life sciences/biotech, healthcare, and climate. The program aims to build community awareness of these opportunities, reshape recruitment practices, align training and educational resources, and create clear career pathways, focusing on residents of color and individuals who face barriers to employment. Roxbury Worx was launched by TACC and partners (including Northeastern University) in Fall 2022 with support from the Commonwealth’s Executive Office of Economic Development.
• Savor the Square is a culturally inspired economic development and community engagement program led by TACC. At each Nubian Square anchor event, Savor uplifts and supports over 20 BIPOC micro-entrepreneurs by providing a curated platform to showcase their creative expressions, generate income, and build community through shared cultural and lived experiences. The program further procures goods/services from local BIPOC businesses. Held monthly from April through October on the plaza of the Shaw-Roxbury Branch Boston Public Library, each themed event features local talent, including musicians from Berklee College of Music and its alumni network, offering emerging artists greater exposure and connection to local audiences. Savor was launched in 2020 to implement recommendations from the Nubian Square Market Analysis (2020); in 2023, the program expanded to include the Greater Roxbury Book Fair, further enriching Savor’s cultural footprint and reinforcing its role as a catalyst for community vibrancy and inclusive economic growth in Roxbury and beyond.
• Waterways: Connecting Residents for Roxbury and Dorchester to Boston’s Waterfront: Boston is a coastal city with 47 miles of shoreline; Boston Harbor is the city's largest public open space. However, the health, employment, and economic benefits of the waterfront are not distributed equitably across the City of Boston. Through Waterways, TACC is implementing strategies that reduce community-identified barriers to accessing the waterfront and increase the number of Roxbury and Dorchester residents benefitting–through health and climate jobs–from living in a coastal city. Our goal is to elevate community voices to shape programs, policies, and accessibility, ensuring that as the waterfront evolves, it does so equitably with the needs and interests of the Roxbury and Dorchester communities actively considered and implemented. Waterways was launched in 2018 with support from the Barr Foundation.

TACC is led by Willie Bodrick, II, J.D., M. Div., President and CEO. Bodrick is the Senior Pastor of Roxbury’s Historic Twelfth Baptist Church and an outspoken advocate for social and economic justice. He serves on the Governor’s Advisory Council on Black Empowerment. TACC currently has a full-time staff of five.

About the NU Co-op Fellowship:

The fellowship will be an opportunity to work at a unique, place-based organization focused on racial equity. The fellow will learn about the organization’s core activities (research, policy, workforce and economic development) and meaningfully contribute to our three equity initiatives (Roxbury Worx, Savor the Square, Waterways).

The fellow will work closely with TACC staff and organizational and community partners on a range of tasks from research and data analysis to program/event planning/implementation and community engagement. We seek a candidate for this position who is excited about TACC’s work and has:

• Commitment to advancing racial equity coupled with some knowledge of Boston’s current racial inequalities;
• Demonstrated interest in research, policy, workforce development, or economic development;
• Analytical skills;
• Competency to think creatively and strategically about complex community/urban challenges;
• Strong communication skills including listening, networking, relationship building, visual, as well as writing;
• Curiosity, motivation, enthusiasm, and ability to work independently and as a member of a team;
• Willingness to jump in and be helpful as needed with public program/events;
• Cultural competency; and
• Multilingual skills welcome.

Projected learning outcomes and professional takeaways include:

• Community-based research skills (e.g., qualitative data collection and analysis);
• Professional contacts in the Roxbury community, municipal government, and in the life sciences/bio tech, healthcare, and climate sectors;
• Knowledge of advocacy and community engagement strategies/processes that drive outcomes;
• Resource development (e.g., grant writing);
• Familiarity with the history of Roxbury, the multiplicity of talent in the Roxbury community, and the range of issues impacting the Roxbury community;
• Previous NU Co-op projects have included developing presentation materials for new initiatives, supporting communications efforts, conducting research, and assisting with public programs (Roxbury Worx, Savor the Square, Waterways) through a variety of administrative and community engagement activities.

Hours and Pay Rate:

This is a full-time, 40-hours per week position at 2136 Washington Street in Nubian Square. The position will require some evening and weekend work hours (e.g., community meetings, program events). The pay rate is $24/hour for 40 hours per week.

As an EOE/AA employer, TACC will not discriminate in its employment practices due to an applicant’s race, color, religion, sex, national origin or ancestry, age, sexual orientation, gender identification, genetic information, veteran or disability status or any other factor prohibited by law.

Co-ops In Service to our Neighbors Mission Statement:

The NU Co-ops in Service to Our Neighbors draws upon the strength of NU as a large urban university and a center for the practice of cooperative education. Co-ops in Service to Our Neighbors promotes civic responsibility and engagement through career choice. The students in Co-ops in Service to Our Neighbors work at six employers in the immediate NU community (Fenway CDC, Innovation Studio, Madison Park CDC, Mission Hill Neighborhood Housing Services, The American City Coalition, and the Fenway Community Center).

The program has three key components:

• The employment of undergraduate students to work as full-time staff members in targeted community-based agencies with the goals of meeting educational, public safety, environmental, and human needs of Boston neighborhoods and citizens;
• Provide students with quality supervision and work environments, which maximize student, professional, civic, and personal development; and
• Participation in 2-3 peer cohort reflection seminars over the course of the semester.

Concurrent Reflection is an integral part of this program. Students who apply for the program should understand that in addition to their employment in a community-based agency, they are expected to participate in 2-3 short cohort reflection seminars during part of a weekday morning (paid) while on co-op.